Comparing all three interviews

 

After writing the reports for the third interview I realized how much I actually gained from the interview process.  The first interview went well but I was nervous and wasn't really sure how to respond to his answers and move fluidly between topics.  During the second interview I felt like I wasn't as nervous but I still couldn't move properly from topic to topic. By my third round I found ways to move confidently from question to question in a manner that made sense. Towards the end of the interview I was left myself with a couple questions that I was sure how to tie into each other but overall I think I did a good job.   I didn't change much besides changing the order of my questions and using a better technique to lead into different subjects.  I used the same recording device and venue because these worked well the first time.  I decided to interview someone from the same country as my second interviewee, Burkina Faso.  I work with Patrick at a restaurant and knew he would be a good candidate to interview.  He is easy going, friendly, and is from the same country as Oswald.  I thought the interview overall flowed much better than the first two interviews.  It was very interesting to learn more about a specific country from another person's point of view.  It was really cool because in my second interview Oswald was more knowledgeable on certain topics than Patrick and vise versa.  They filled in the gaps for each other. This was cool to witness. Patrick told me a little more about his countries history. He seemed like he a little more about it than Oswald. I then cross checked the information with what I had researched on the Internet.  One thing that was contradictory was how they described their greetings.  Oswald said they tend to hug and kiss on the cheek with people they are close to. I asked Patrick about this and he said they tend to mind their space. He said they don't really hug or kiss. I wonder if that has to do something by region or by class. I wish I would have asked during the interview. It may have added more to the content of the interview and country report. The transcription portion took me almost two hours to complete! It is tough to get everything accurate while listening and typing.  It can get a little redundant by the end of the third interview.  I was proud myself for putting in as much effort as I did.  I spent almost all day in the library transcribing and rewriting my country report. I wasn't satisfied with what I produced previously so I changed things around.  I also added a lot of things I learned during the interviews.  When grading the third interviews I got the impression that only a few people improved with the overall assignment while most people decreased their effort. The overall scores reflect this. I was kind of disappointed because by the last interview everyone should have been pro's at it.